Booster pump for windmills



BOOSTER PUMP FOR WINDMILLS Fileduay 1e, 1929 2 sheets-sheet 1 l/. 4/ 'ylNvENToRV MM gfx ATTORNEY March 29. 1932. A. 1 L lGoN 1,851,915

BOOSTER PUMP FOR WINDMILLS Filed May 16. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 55NVENTOR. B/Y Z5/ary.

www@

:umm: 4 Y ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 29, 1932 PATENT OFFICE;

ARTHU'RLEE LIGON, 0F FGRT STOCKTON, TEXASk BOOSTER PUMP FOR WINDMILLSApplication filed May. 16,

This invention relates to improvements in pumping-- apparatus, and itconsists of the constructions, combinations and arrange- .x ments hereindescribed and claimed.

,l attribute of separability, it being possible tol n: Lu

disassemble the pump in sections or by stages,` so to speak, in orderthat `certain successive parts can be gotten aty for replacement orrepair witliout necessarily removing the entire y, apparatus from" itsfoundations or without necessarily taking the whole apparatus apart.

A still further object of the invention is to incorporate in thepumpingapparatus a novel form of stuffing box which not only partakes ofthe foregoing attribute but it possesses the more important feature ofpreventing'the bypassinglor pumping of water.

employ a relief valve in connection with the pumping apparatus for thepurpose of preventing damage to the latter should the pipey line for anyreason become stopped up.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

vFigure l is a vertical section of the improved pumping apparatus, partsbeing sliownin elevation,

Figure 2 is a detail viewv of the'relief valve, n Figure 3 is ahorizontal section taken on 'the line 3-3 of Figure 1,*particularlyillustiating the spider hereinafter referred to,

Figure 4- is a front elevation of the pumping apparatus, parts beingshown in section, .Figure 5 is a plan view of the apparatus, the'solid'plunger rod being shown in section,

Figure 6 is a horizontal section taken onvthe line 6*-6 ofV Figure l,

Figure 7 is a' detail sectional view illustratingthe manner of pickingup the standing valveupondcsiring to renew the cup leathers,

1929. serial Nc. 363,548.

Figure Sis a detail side elevation, partiallyin section, of theso-called packer plunger.

It is common knowledge thatr there are-` many persons, especially `inthe outlyingV regions of this land, who rely'largel'y if not' entirely,for their water supply upon the operation of windmills. In manyinstances the windmill has imposed upon itv theV duty` of forcing waterfrom a given source through a long pipe line sometimes several miles inklength. Iii the majorityl of instances, the water thus supplied'isltaken from a storage" tank located either on or above the surface of theground. In addition to overcomingthe' friction of the pipe linkel it isoften necessary for the windmill to deliver the water at an elevationconsiderably greaterthan its origin.

The common practice is tor make the downstroke of the mill theworkingstroke of the pump. It has been demonstrated thatv this mode ofoperation is particularly hard von the windmill mechanism, so much sothat when" an especially heavy load is imposed upon the windmill it isnot unusual that the apparatus will become disabled. It is one of thepurposes of the invention to reverse thismode of A still further objectof the invention is to operation, namely to employ the upstroke of' theWindmill as the working stroke ofthe pumping apparatus. This is by fareasier on the windmill.

In addition to this, it is a further purpose of the invention to permitlthe ready disassemblage of the pumping apparatus. The latter will oftenbe used in remote places where the making of repairs and replacementswill ordinarily be made. with great difficulty. It is not necessary todismount the entire appara-y tus from its foundations for the purpose ofmaking many internal repairs, it being' possible to abstract all of theinside parts fromy the suspended stationary casing, and this insuccessive stages as will presently appear. The removal of cup leathersWill probably call for a disassemblage of the parts most frequently, andthis also is easily accomplished either by the removal of the guidev caporsuch succeeding parts as lie in advance thereof.

Reference is made to the drawings. A foundation-1 supports the sills2from which a casing 3 is stationarily suspended in the fifi ' anycustomary manner.

lower one of a pair of chambers 4 and 5 incorporated in the foundation.Anchor bolts 6 hold the sills 2 down, a particular purpose of locatingthe pumping apparatus within the chambers 4 and 5, which in effectconstitute a pit, being to well avoid the frost line. Openings 7 8 and 9in the sides of the chamber 5 admit the intake and discharge pipes 10and 11 and the relief pipe 12 in the numerical order of the openings. Aboard or other cover 13 provides a closure for the pit.

Flanges 14 and 15 at the upper and lower ends of the casing 3 have holesto receive bolts 16 and 17 that secure the casing to a bed plate 18 anda bottom cover 19 to the flange 15. The

bottom cover has a sediment plug 20, while a drain hole in they adjacentside of the casing 3 may or may not be kept closed by a plu@r 21. Asuitable packing is interposed between the flange 14 and bed plate 18 tomake an ab-A solutely water-tight oint. The bed plate comprises part ofan intake collar 22 with which the intake check valve 23 is coupled asshown in Figure 1. This valve is located be` tween the pipe 10 and thecollar 22.

Situated within the casing 3 is a working barrel 24. This, like thecasing, occupies a stationary position. It is spaced from the casing 3to define an intake chamber 25. lt is in this chamber that the water isreceived from the intake pipe 10 prior to its passage up the stationaryworking barrel 24 on its Way to the discharge pipe 11. A ring 26,lapplied to the top flange 27 of the intake collar 22 has threads intowhich correspondingr threads of the working barrel 24 are screwed thusto suspend the barrel in its working position. A spider 28 (Figs. 1 and3), fitted upon the lower end of the barrel 24keeps the latter in a truecentral position.

lt is observed that the ring 26 makes a tight seal between the intakechamber and the outlet chamber 29 of a coupling 30. The two chambers maycommunicate with each other only through the standing valve 31 and inorder to prevent such communication around the ring 26 the latter isadequately packed in lt is further observed that the working barrel 24and casing 3 are concentric, although it is conceivable that they maynot necessarily be so, one` being .suspended within the other, theworking barrel relying upon the sills 2 for its support in common withtherest of the pumping apparatus.

The coupling has a flange 32 which is superimposed upon the ring 26.Bolts 33 secure the ring between the flanges 32 and 27, the packingsformerly alluded to being indicated. An air chamber 34 is connected withthe outlet port 35 `of the coupling 30, this chamber being interposedbetween the cou.

pling and the outlet check valve 36. The latter communicates with theoutlet pipe 11 and prevents the return of water after it has once beenforced from the apparatus. The chamber 34 has an air cock 37 at theupper end. A relief port 38 branching from the chamber 29 has aconnected fixture 39 to which a relief valve 40 is joined.

This valve is intended for the relief of water from the apparatus whenunder excessive pressure. Circumstances may arise when the pipe linebecomes obstructed. In such case a continued operation of the pumpingapparatus might impose sucha pressure upon the water as may seriouslydamage the mechanism. Instead of the water being driven in the direction`of the outlet pipe 11 it would escape through the relief valve 40 intothe relief pipe 12 and into such reservoir as may be provided. Therelief valve is regarded as an important provision in the pumpingapparatus.

cap 41 provides a top closure for the chamber 29. It is bolted down asshown. It has an upstanding hub 42 which not only supports the head 43of a packing tube 44 but also serves as the mounting for the guidecap 45which, in being screwed upon the hub 42, bears down upon the ,head 43and maintains the packing tube in an immovable position. The guide capis necessarily chambered to receive both the hub 42 and the head 43 ofthe packing tube 44. The hub has a bore 46 into which the packing tubeis inserted so that it may assume its suspended position within theworking barrel 24.

Thus far it will be clear that the structure of the pumping apparatuscomprises a succession of supports from which elements 3, 24 and 44 aresuccessively suspended in concentric relationship. By removing the guidecap 45 one will have immediate access to the packing tube 44. Should itbe necessary to gain access to the working barrel 24 one has only toremove the coupling 30. Sometimes the working barrel will show wear onthe inside, and in such case a new one can be screwed into the ring 26.The last one of the succession of concentric elementsl comprises thesolid plunger rod 47. This is in the nature of a polish rod.

This rod has guidance in the cap 45 whence the latter `obtains its name.An annular well 48 has one or more ducts 49 through which oil will befed from a supply in the well to the bore of the guide cap and to theinside wall of the packing tube 44. The lower end of the rod 47 isconnected with a packer plunger 50 which is in tubular form. It carriesa plurality of cup leathers 51 at the upper end. The packer plunger isnearly the same in external diameter as the tube 44 is in internaldiameter. There is a very particular purpose in this arrangement.

By having the packer plunger 50 full size throughout its entire lengthfrom the point where the cup leathers 51 begin to the point where itconnects with the valve cage 52 there will be practically nodisplacement of water on the down-stroke of the plunger valve 53. Thecup leathers 51 constitute a packer, Lthe purpose of which is to preventthe by-passage of water into the upper end of the tube 44 on thedownstroke of the plunger valve. If the plunger 50 were of a reduceddiameter, the packer would act more or less yin the capacity of apiston, not only displacing water from the end of the tube .44 on thedown-stroke and thus adding a material resistance to the down-stroke ofthe windmill which should be as free as possible, but also exposing theupper end of the tube 44 to the likelihood of receiving a quantity ofwater.

By making the packer plunger 50 nearly as large as the bore of the tube44, the cup leathers or packer 51 are protected to a material extent.Large volumes of water are kept away from the packer and such smallamount as may reach the cup leathersI will be turned aside so that theupper end of the tube will never become wet with water. The plungervalve 53 may be of any known construction. It has cup leathers as shown,and a threaded stud 54 located at the top is screwed into the threadedend of the plunger 50 to make the necessary connection between the two.

The standing valve 31 may also be of a substantially conventionalstructure. A possible exception is the addition of a cupleather orleather facing 55 on the outside as shown in Figures 1 to 7. This facingis compressible to a` limited extent and will serve not only to make atight joint when the plunger valve is pressed into place, but alsomaintains a good grip with the bevelled entrance 56 to the workingbarrel 24. The standing valve is simply pushed down in to the beveledentrance and under ordinary circumstances will stay in place. A probableexception to the conventional structure of the standing valve is theprovision of a threaded stud 57 on the order of the stud 54 previouslymentioned. n The plunger valve 53 has a threaded bore 58 into which thestud 57 can be screwed by turning the plunger rod 47 for the purpose ofabstracting the standing valve after the plunger rod has beendisconnected at 59 from vthe windmill pump pole 60.

The operation is readily understood. The plunger valve 53 opensupwardly, that is to say, when theI plunger 47 makes a downstroke waterbelow the plunger valve will be transferred to the upper part of theworking barrel 24. At such a time the standing valve 31 will close. Thetwo valves operate in the the same directions, but when one is open theother is closed as will readily be apparent from a study of thedrawings. It is on the down-stroke of the rod 47 that the packer plunger50 performs its most important function.

Being nearly of uniform kdiameter with the cup leathers or packer 51,the latter is prevented from functioning as a piston which would#displace water on the down-stroke. The extremely thin wall of waterthat will occupy `the space between the plunger ,50 and the tube 44.will be prevented `from passing Lthe packer 51f-by the spreadingtendencyV of the cup leathers. Inasmuch as the packer. is not allowed todo any displacing of water it follows that the down-stroke of the wind`mill will bek very easy and practically unimpeded. The up-stroke of t-hewindmill is kmost effective, and it is on thisstroke that the plungervalve 53 forces the column of water out of the working barrel and intothe discharge pipe l1.

The course of the water stream is indicated by the arrows in Figure 1.The water enters the casing 3 from the intake pipe 10, from which casingit flows into the working barrel 24 in the manner Valready stated.Should the pipe line, especially at the discharge side of the pumpingapparatus become obstructed from any cause so that the next up-stroke.would meet with such resistance as might seriously damage the mechanism,there would be an immediate relief of the pressure through the valve 40and the pipe 12. The relief valve is an important provision in a pumpyof this kind, and although obstructions of the pipe line-are rare, yetit is` imperative that some remedy be provided in case of an obstructionif the disablement of the apparatus is to be avoided.

It is deemed unnecessary to enlarge upon the sectional nature of theapparatus. This is constructed in stages so to speak. Working from theinside to the outside, should it become necessary to remove the tube 44for inspection the only requirement is to un- Vscrew the guide cap 45.The removal of the cap 41 will permit the abstraction of the entirestructure within the working barrel 24, and if it is desired to removethe standing valve 3l with this structure it is only necessary to turnthe rod 47 in the right direction after having disconnected it from thepole 60, thereby to screw the plunger valve upon the threaded stud 57.

While the construction and arrangement of the improved pumping apparatusis that of a generally preferred form, obviously modifications andchanges may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventionor the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. Pumping apparatus comprising a. plurality of concentric tubularelements respectively defining intake, working and packer chambers, aplunger valve operating in the working chamber, a` connected packerworking in the packer chamber, a plunger rod joined with the packer, acap in which the rod has guidance, and a plurality of vmeans With one ofwhich the cap has connection and from which said elements aresuccessively suspended for removability in stages to successively gainaccessk to the interior of the apparatus.

2. In pumping apparatus including a reciprocable plunger Valve with apacker, and a packing tube containing said packer: means to shut outVirtually all'flud rom'the packer tube and packer said means comprisinga plunger connecting the packer with the plunger valve, said plungerbeing nearly the same in outside. diameter as the inside dameter of saidtube.

ARTHUR LEE LIGON.

